10 Beastie Boys Songs That Rock the Hardest

How deep have you really gone into the Beastie Boys’ discography? Sure, we’ve all rocked out to “Sabotage” and “Fight for Your Right (to Party)” but New York City’s finest have even harder rocking songs to offer.

Defunct since the 2012 death of Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch. The Beasties Boys broke down barriers between hip-hop and rock, and even introduced the mainstream to hardcore punk (they were a hardcore quartet before morphing into a hip-hop trio). The Beastie Boys even paid tribute to metal, inviting Slayer’s Kerry King to shred on “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.”

The three MCs sampled some of rock and metal’s biggest bands for their work. You can clearly hear Black Sabbath’s iconic “Sweet Leaf” riff on the Beasties’ Licensed to Ill track “Rhymin’ and Stealin’.” The Beastie Boys’ major label rap debut features “Rock Hard,” a song that samples AC/DC’s “Back in Black” riff. The out-of-print song was meant to be released on the Sounds of Science anthology, but AC/DC -- who never approved the sample -- pulled the plug on those plans.

If you really want to hear the Beastie Boys rip through punk songs, then grab their Aglio e Olio EP. Only 10 minutes in length, the 1995 EP is a legitimate hardcore record, and it’s damn good. If you want your speed fix, check out cuts like “Brand New” and “Deal With It.” You can also hear their '80s hardcore material on the 1994 compilation Some Old Bullshit.

Check out these 10 Beastie Boys Songs That Rock the Hardest in the Loud List above.